The present invention relates to a staple magazine holder in combination with a slide feed strip for receiving a plurality of staples, where said strip is slidably engaged with said holder.
While these specifications may suggest a variety of applications for using the apparatus hereof, the present invention was developed for use by utility linemen who must operate under such restraints as (1) being suspended from a pole, (2) having limited mobility, (3) working under adverse weather conditions, and (4) wearing gloves. These restraints, when coupled with the fact that such linemen must handle large, sharply pointed staples, present a most challenging task.
What may appear to some as a simple means to overcome such a task, namely a pneumatic type stapling device, must remember what goes up the pole must be carried or handled by the linemen. Thus, excess weight or bulk adds another potential limitation to the linemen's task. The present invention greatly simplifies this task by providing a safe, light-weight, portable staple magazine holder with staples.
The prior art, as represented by the patents to Leslie (U.S. Pat. No. 2,127,665), Smith (U.S. Pat. No. 2,771,619) and Anstett (U.S. Pat. No. 3,294,303), teaches several different approaches for providing means for supplying staples, or other type of fasteners, to a work location. However, none of these approaches are suitable for handling large staples, on the order of 11/2 inches high or larger, while at the same time protecting the linemen from exposure to the sharp ends of the staples during handling and use of the holder. The manner by which this is accomplished will be detailed in the specifications which follow.